I've always been interested in farming. Traveling around countries on buses, trains, cars, and bicycles wondering what plants those are and how do they grow and so on. I never really had a garden before. Mostly because in most of my adult life I never had a space for a garden and when I did my time there was temporary. Rolling stones gather no moss so to speak. These days in Phuket town, I am fairly stable in my residence and even if I do go rolling my neighbor can water the plants. When you live in the tropics almost everything grows as well with minimum effort.
A good friend of mine 
I've always been interested in farming
A few years ago, I met an interesting woman through Couchsurfing in northeast Thailand. Actually, I stayed in her family house with her mother during Songkran (Thai New Year) which was quite interesting and a real saving grace as that is no time to be cycling around Thailand. During my stay, the daughter and I would go around to different areas and pick fruit from the trees including the land next to the house. The mother had planted the fruit trees in various location around 20 years ago and now we we able to eat fresh organic fruit for free with just a bit of labor. That's when it dawned on me that gardens don't have to be about me or on land I own... They can be for anyone that's interested. So even if I decide to go around the world, my neighbors can water and take care of the garden and most importantly eat the fruits and vegetables.
If you want something done right, do it yourself
The question could easily be, "Why not?" Especially if you have some arable land nearby. Free organic veggies and fruits that give you a real sense of accomplishment and confidence. I was thinking today how proud organic farmers must be when they see someone enjoying their produce. Of course there are deeper reasons such as self sufficiency, knowing exactly what you are eating, cost, exercise, and being in touch with the Earth. We were all farmers to some extent in the not so distant past. Here in Thailand I don't have much faith in the "organic" labels truthfully. I'd rather buy from the local woman that grows things in the backyard and tells me she doesn't use chemicals. But as the saying goes - if you want something done right, do it yourself. There are so many more reasons and feel free to comment on your feelings.
Luckily I'm living in a bit of a green oasis in the center of Phuket town. By center I really mean center. A good friend of mine has a hotel nearby and we go on the roof from time to time and the view includes the little green area where I stay surrounded by development. Between the buildings here are a few green spaces. My neighbor and I decided to try to grow a garden in one space. Actually, he dug the garden and then I took it from there. Sometimes we need neighborly motivation to get things going ;) The landlord is quite supportive of the idea and I'll expand to some other areas nearby. Recently, I planted a new garden on some land he has just down the street.
At this point we have papaya, watermelon, Thai arugula, ginger, mango, kale, pineapple and other plants I'm not actually sure of the name. As the space is rather small and the sun isn't consistent the process has been a trial and error to see what will grow. As the papaya has grown together just today I transplanted a few of the seedlings. Let's see if they survive.
Just think if everyone planted seeds
A topic for another day. For now the rainy season is almost upon us and that should be an optimum time for getting these fruits and veggies going full force. I'll be sure to keep you updated with this garden and the ones that are in the process. This is small scale gardening but greatly rewarding all the same. Stay tuned...
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